The Glenwood-Lowry Legion baseball team is hitting its stride at the right time.  The team has won eight of its last 10 games after splitting a doubleheader at Parkers Prairie, June 29 (10-6 loss and 4-3 win) and sweeping a twinbill with Brooten last Wednesday (9-1 and 7-2). 

Glenwood-Lowry, which ended the regular-season 12-5, also swept Benson-Hancock in a doubleheader at home, Thursday, and results of those games will be highlighted next week.

The Lakers are set to open up the playoffs Monday (today) at home.  G-L earned the top seed in the northeast “pod” and will open up tournament action at 7 p.m., Monday against fourth-seeded Sauk Centre.  Brooten and Benson-Hancock are also in the NE pod.

The tournament will continue July 13, 14 and 15 with the “pod” championship game.  The top team from the NE “pod” advances to the Final Four, set for July 17, 20, 22 and 23 at various sites.

PP 10-3, Glen-Lowry 6-4

The Glenwood-Lowry Legion split a doubleheader at Parkers Prairie, Thursday, June 29.  The home team won the opener, 10-6, but Glenwood-Lowry came back to win the nightcap, 4-3.

In the first game, G-L took an early 3-0 lead, but Parkers Prairie scored eight runs in the bottom-half of the second to take an 8-3 lead.

G-L, which outhit the home team, 12-8, scored another run in the third to pull to within 8-4, but that would be as close as the Lakers would get.

Dylan Alexander went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two doubles to lead Glenwood-Lowry, which left 10 runners on base, while Jack Majerus was 2-for-5 with a two-run double and Connor Erickson continued his great recent play by going 2-for-4 with a run and RBI.

Ryland Martin took the loss on the mound.  He lasted just one inning after giving up one hit, five walks and being hurt by three unearned runs.  Alex Panitzke pitched the final five innings, giving up seven hits and two runs.

Also coming through with hits for G-L were Panitzke, PJ Johnson, Austin Ballhagen, Levi Johnson and Aron Majerus.

•  In the second game, Glenwood-Lowry rallied from a 3-0 first-inning deficit to win the game, 4-3.

Levi Johnson had two of his team’s six hits, while Dylan Alexander came in to pitch five innings of shutout relief and also hit a solo homer to lead the Lakers to the one-run victory.

Jack Majerus started on the mound, but was relieved by Alexander after giving up one hit and two walks in the first three batters he faced.

Alexander went on to pitch all five innings, giving up just for hits and no walks while striking out four.

The Lakers tied it up with a three-run second inning.  PJ Johnson led off with a double and came home on a single by Levi Johnson.  Levi stole second base before coming home on a single by Connor Erickson and Erickson eventually came home on a groundout.

Alexander had a one-out solo homer in the third inning for the winning run.  Also coming through with hits for Glenwood-Lowry was Austin Ballhagen.

Glen-L 9-7, Brooten 1-2

The Lakers swept a doubleheader at home against Brooten last Wednesday, 9-1 and 7-2.  PJ Johnson pitched a complete-game seven-hitter with 11 strikeouts and Dylan Alexander was 3-for-4 to lead G-L in the first game, while Ryland Martin earned the pitching victory in the second game with PJ Johnson going 3-for-3 and his brother, Levi, going 2-for-2 at the plate.

Brooten struck first in the opener, but Glenwood-Lowry scored at least one run in their final five at-bats to win easily.  Alexander was 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Levi Johnson was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI and Austin Ballhagen was 2-for-3 with two runs, a stolen base and was also hit-by-a-pitch.

PJ Johnson improved to 4-1 for the season with the complete-game win, giving up seven hits, one run and three walks with 11 strikeouts.

Adding one hit each for the Lakers were Alex Panitzke, PJ Johnson and Ryland Martin.

•  Glenwood-Lowry went up for good with three runs in the first inning of the second game and, after Brooten scored two runs in the top-half of the fourth, the Lakers scored four more runs in the bottom-half of the inning to complete the 7-2 win.

PJ Johnson was 3-for-3 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI.  Five of the Lakers’ nine hits were doubles.  Levi Johnson was 2-for-2 with a walk and double, while Jack Majerus, Dylan Alexander, Noah Jensen and R. Dell also had hits for G-L.

Ryland Martin earned the victory, pitching the first four innings and striking out seven, before giving way to Ballhagen, who pitched a perfect fifth with three K’s.

at Parkers Prair 10, G-L 6

Glen-Lowry (7-5) 0 3 1 0 1 1 0 — 6 12 4

Parkers Prairie 0 8 0 2 0 0 x — 10 8 4

HITTING:  G-L-Dylan Alexander 3-for-4, 1 run, 2 doubles; Jack Majerus 2-for-5, 2 RBI, double; Connor Erickson 2-for-4, 1 run, RBI; Alex Panitzke 1-for-4, RBI; PJ Johnson 1-for-4, 1 run; Levi Johnson 1-for-3, 1 run, bb; Austin Ballhagen 1-for-3, RBI, bb; Aron Majerus 1-for-2, 1 run; Ryland Martin 0-for-3, 1 run, bb

PITCHING:  (ip-h-r-er-bb-so):  G-L-Ryland Martin (L, 1-2)  1-1-7-4-5-0; Alex Panitzke 5-7-3-2-0-4 . . . PP-D. Debilzen (W)  5 1/3-8-5-3-2-6; D. Revering 1 2/3-4-1-1-1-1

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Glen-Low 4, at Par Prair 3

Parkers Prairie 3 0 0 0 0 — 3 5 1

Glen-Lowry (8-5) 0 3 1 0 x — 4 6 2

HITTING:  G-L-Levi Johnson 2-for-2, 1 run, RBI, 3 sb; Dylan Alexander 1-for-2, 1 run, HR, RBI; PJ Johnson 1-for-2, 1 run, double; Connor Erickson 1-for-1, 1 run; Austin Ballhagen 1-for-2, RBI; Aron Majerus 0-for-2, RBI; 

PITCHING:  (ip-h-r-er-bb-so):  G-L-Jack Majerus 0-1-3-3-2-0; Dylan Alexander (W, 1-0)  5-4-0-0-0-4 . . . PP-C. Noska (L)  4-6-4-4-1-2

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at Glen-Low 9, Brooten 1

Brooten 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 7 3

Glenwood-L (9-5) 0 1 2 2 3 1 x — 9 10 0

HITTING:  G-L-Dylan Alexander 3-for-4, RBI; Levi Johnson 2-for-4, 2 runs, RBI; Austin Ballhagen 2-for-3, 2 runs, hbp, sb; Alex Panitzke 1-for-3, 1 run, bb; PJ Johnson 1-for-3, 1 run, RBI, hbp; Ryland Martin 1-for-3, 1 run, 2 RBI, bb; Jack Majerus 0-for-3, 1 run, RBI, sacfly, sb; Noah Jensen 0-for-3, 1 run, b; Connor Erickson 0-for-2, RBI, sac; C. Larson 0-for-0, RBI, bb

PITCHING:  (ip-h-r-er-bb-so):  G-L-PJ Johnson (W, 4-1)  7-7-1-1-3-11 . . . BROOT-Luke Dingmann (L)  5 2/3-10-9-6-4-3; B. Deroo 1/3-0-0-0-0-1

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at Glenwood-L 7, Broot 2

Brooten 0 0 0 2 0 — 2 2 2

Glen-Lowry (10-5) 3 0 0 4 x — 7 9 0

HITTING:  G-L-PJ Johnson 3-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBI, 2 doubles; Levi Johnson 2-for-2, RBI, bb, double; Jack Majerus 1-for-3, 1 run; Dylan Alexander 1-for-2, 1 run, double; R. Dell 1-for-1, 1 run, RBI; Noah Jensen 1-for-2, 1 run, RBI, double; E. Jacobs 1 run

PITCHING:  (ip-h-r-er-bb-so):  G-L-Ryland Martin (W, 2-2)  4-2-2-2-0-7; Austin Ballhagen 1-0-0-0-0-3 . . BROOT-K. Deroo (L)  4-9-7-4-2-2

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